


Earthbound

by GemmaRose



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings Jams, Galra Keith (Voltron), Hand Jobs, Magic, Mental Link, Multi, Praise Kink, Purring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 07:25:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8319058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: Returned to Earth after several years in space, the Paladins must deal with the shock of being separated from their Lions.Crossposted from the Voltron kink meme.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pentapus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pentapus/gifts).



It all happened so fast, Lance couldn’t quite believe it. One moment they were standing over Zarkon’s unconscious body, the next they were on a planet which was either Earth or something unfairly similar. Honestly, though, that wasn’t even the most disorienting part. The sudden shift from dim purple-red light to blazing desert sun, the way their armour and flight suits and bayards vanished, the ozone and rot stench of druid magic replaced by clean desert, all of that was stuff he could deal with. The thing which made him stagger and gasp for air was the sudden, burning hole where Blue belonged.

She’d been part of him for years now, a calming rumble in the back of his head and a cool presence just behind his heart. He’d grown used to her, to their bond, and her absence hurt worse than any injury he’d sustained in the line of duty. From the way Pidge keened and Hunk collapsed, Lance could only guess they were missing their Lions as well. And he had to guess, because he couldn’t _feel_ them. The silence was deafening, scattered thoughts bouncing around his head far too fast without Blue or any of his team to slow them down. He couldn’t breathe, and on his left Keith suddenly sagged. Reaching out to catch the Red Paladin was reflex, and Lance hit the dirt right next to his comrade.

The sun-baked sandstone was hot against his skin, and he reached for Blue’s magic to protect them all. But there was nothing. No frigid air in his lungs ready to be expelled as searing cold mist, no ice in his bones waiting to collect on his skin and bend to his whims. No Lion, no magic. A hot arm wrapped around his bare shoulders, and Lance leaned against Shiro with quick, uneven breaths racing in and out of his mouth.

“We’re alive.” Shiro murmured, and Lance squeezed his eyes shut. “We’re alive, we’re together, we have-” he stopped, and even without their bond Lance knew why. “each other.” their leader finished lamely, curling around them. Lance wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, collapsed and leaning against Shiro, but at some point he must’ve drifted off because the next thing he registered was waking up in a bed that wasn’t his. The mattress was too thin, the sheets stiff and stinking of chemicals, and when he sat up the springs squeaked. He was in a cell.

He was on his feet before he registered anything more than the bare walls and barred door, hand flying to his hip only to meet bare fabric. Right, stupid, of course the Empire wouldn’t leave him his bayard or his armour. But, wait, they’d utterly wrecked Zarkon’s shit, and this cell wasn’t like any of the ones he’d seen as a Paladin. And he’d seen a lot of cells, the most of the whole team if Pidge’s count was accurate. His eyes flew fully open, adrenaline shocking him the rest of the way to wakefulness. Pidge. He couldn’t feel them through the bond, or anyone else, or-

The situation all crashed back down on him at once, and he staggered back to fall onto the cot. “Guys?” he called out weakly. The cell was pretty small, and the hallway he could see outside was bare, but the others had to be nearby. They had to. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he couldn’t sense or contact the rest of the team.

“Lance?” Pidge’s voice was small, and sounded like it was coming from his right, and that just felt _wrong_. He was the right flank, even when they’d all been thrown in jail together once or twice due to cultural misunderstandings his cell had always been to the right of everyone else’s.

“Pidge.” Lance forced himself to his feet and walked over to the bars, slumping against them. “You okay?”

“Almost.” they chuckled, and Lance’s whole body ached with Blue’s absence. “Can’t believe I’m wearing orange again.”

Lance looked down at himself, and realized belatedly that he wasn’t just wearing his boxers. He was in an orange jumpsuit, just about identical to the ones prisoners wore on TV. “We’re on Earth.” he said dumbly, and as soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. Now it was real, now they couldn’t deny it.

“It’s so quiet.” Hunk said from his left, closer than Pidge. “And- light.” he sounded like he was frowning, and Lance’s chest tightened painfully. They’d Synchronized over a year ago, he shouldn’t have to guess what his teammates were feeling anymore.

“Warm.” Keith added, his voice coming from Lance’s immediate right. “It’s so warm in here.”

“They’ll come for us.” Shiro said, and if Lance had to guess Shiro was in the cell directly to Hunk’s left, putting him where Hunk ought to be. “Allura and Coran will come for us.”

“What sort of names are Alluring and Coral?” a voice said, and Lance’s heart sank as a man walked slowly down their line of cells. An undeniably human man, wearing a Garrison uniform. “I’ve got more than a few questions for you boys, but let’s start with that.”

\---

Lance staggered, and turned as he fell to catch Keith who’d been shoved in behind him. They were being ‘kept for observation’ according to the various Garrison scientists and officers, but Lance had seen enough cells and cages to recognize when he was being locked in one.

“It’s so weird.” Keith mumbled after a minute of silence, not lifting his face from Lance’s T-shirt. “I can’t remember the last time your skin was warm.”

“Me neither.” Lance admitted, and held Keith tighter. If he held on tight enough, it was almost like they were still Synchronised. They breathed as one, and when Keith sat up Lance went with him. They sat down on the edge of the lower bunk together, and Lance wasn’t sure how long they just sat there clinging to each other and breathing and trying not to be deafened by the silence.

They must’ve fallen asleep like that, because when he was woken up by rough shaking the next morning Lance’s arms were still around Keith, who had wound up halfway in his lap halfway draped over his torso. And for all that he’d missed Earth food out in space, he couldn’t bring himself to swallow more than a mouthful of the scrambled eggs he was given. The water tasted weird and wrong too, but at Shiro’s urging he drank the whole glass. Pidge’s quiet muttering filled the empty space between them, but it couldn’t fill the hollow in Lance’s chest.

The Garrison scientists ran tests on him, one of which involved locking him in a temperature controlled room while they dropped the temperature, and Lance fought back a sob as his lungs filled with icy air. It settled in his bones, not quite the chill of space or of Blue’s magic, and Lance sprawled out on his back as his chest shook. It was so close to what he was missing, but as the temperature plummeted far below what he could’ve taken even a year ago all he could feel was the wrongness. No matter how cold this room got, he wouldn’t be the coldest thing in it.

They tested more things after that, and he cooperated in silence with everything that didn’t require him to speak. When they tried to ask him where he’d been for the past few years, and other questions about his mental and physical state, he gave them no answers. With his thoughts racing the way they were, there was no way of knowing what might come out of his mouth. In a way, the sympathy in the scientist’s eyes was worse than any galra interrogation he’d ever faced.

He and Keith were locked back in their cell together after a dinner that Lance could stomach about as well as he’d stomached breakfast, and they clung to each other tightly on the narrow, uncomfortable bed.

“I never thought I’d miss Coran’s cooking.” he mumbled into Keith’s hair, earning a pained chuckle.

“Never thought I’d hate how I look this much.” Keith said into his shirt, and Lance held the Red Paladin tighter. “I heard them talking about vivisection.”

“We would kill them.” Lance said immediately, twisting to pin Keith to the bed. Humans or no, anyone who actively tortured a Paladin for any reason was going to get the full brunt of their rage. Keith’s claws curled against his back, a ragged purr rumbling in his chest, and Lance scooted down a little so their faces were even. “They fuck with you, they fuck with all of us.”

Keith grinned, but it was a weak little thing that only made Lance’s heart hurt. It had been hard, before they Synchronised, to believe he had a place on the team. Apparently, and he hated having to use that word in regards to another Paladin, Keith was struggling to believe that they would go so far to protect him. And without their bond, Lance couldn’t remind him how much they all loved him. But he could still remind Keith that he was loved, that his inhuman appearance didn’t mean he deserved whatever was done to him here or anything like that. So Lance bent his elbows further, lowering himself to lie on top of Keith, and kissed him.

Keith kissed him back desperately, claws biting into his back through the cheap white T-shirt, and Lance ground his hips down. “Te amo.” he breathed when they parted for air. “I love you, Keith.” he pressed a kiss to Keith’s neck. “I love you so much.”

Keith whined, arching up against him, and Lance pressed a tender kiss to his lips. The room felt cold, and not in a good way. It just made him all the more aware of how quiet everything was, the absence of the rest of their team both physically and mentally. “You’re amazing.” he whispered, bringing a hand down to palm Keith through his garish orange and white Garrison sweatpants. “So strong, and handsome, and dangerous.” he rolled his shoulders back against Keith’s claws and moaned a little. “A perfect Paladin.”

Keith shuddered under him, purple cheeks flushed dark and beautiful golden eyes squeezed tightly shut. Lance kissed him again, gentle and chaste, and Keith abruptly went tense. His claws dug into Lance’s shoulders as he came, and when he went limp Lance brushed his bangs back out of his face. “Feel better?” he whispered, and Keith nodded slowly. Lance smiled, and nudged Keith over until there was enough space for them to cuddle side by side on the narrow cot.

“I’m up for more, y’know.” Keith mumbled into Lance’s shoulder, slipping his leg between Lance’s pointedly. Lance shook his head, and Keith pulled away. “Alright.” he pressed a light kiss to Lance’s neck, just over his pulse, and Lance hummed contentedly as he pulled Keith closer, their breaths falling into sync. It wasn’t as good as having their bond, or having the rest of the team within arm’s reach, but it helped fill that emptiness just a bit. Enough to sleep peacefully, at least.


	2. Chapter 2

“Lance.” Keith frowned, grabbing him by the wrists. “Stop.”

“Stop what?” Lance frowned in confusion, and it would’ve been adorable if he wasn’t being so aggravating.

“Turning me down.” Keith said, hooking a leg over Lance’s and pulling their hips flush. It was so frustrating, trying to get Lance to stop deflecting. “Let me take care of you, dammit.”

“You, take care of me?” Lance huffed, and Keith suffocated the urge to growl. He didn’t want to fight, but Lance was just so _stubborn_. “Keith, you can barely keep your eyes open!”

“And you haven’t let me get you off since we wound up here.” he retorted, releasing Lance’s wrists and instead grabbing him by the shoulders. “So you’re going to let me cuddle you, and you’re going to tell me _why_.”

Lance went limp, which made it really hard to turn him over to be properly cuddled, but Keith managed. He purred quietly as he tucked his chin over Lance’s shoulder and tangled their legs together, doing his best to ignore how warm Lance was in his arms. Shiro ran hottest after him, and even he wasn’t this warm. Then again, that was when Keith had liquid fire in his veins and ran several degrees warmer than even a full-blooded galra would be able to handle.

“Start talking.” he said firmly, wrapping his arms around Lance’s torso and twining their fingers together. “Anything you would’ve told us through the bond, tell me, now.” he squeezed Lance’s hand gently.

Lance sighed, and Keith began purring again as the Blue Paladin started to speak. “It’s just, too quiet.” he said slowly. “And cold. Everything here is cold, but I feel like I’m burning up and when I reach for Blue to fix it I remember she’d not there anymore.” his breath hitched, and Keith deepened his purr slightly.

“It hurts.” Lance admitted, his voice so small and broken it felt like an arrow in Keith’s chest. “There’s this spot where she should be, and it’s like an empty, burning hole. And I know it’s stupid, I know you still care, but I-” Lance’s breath hitched again, and Keith nuzzled against the Blue Paladin’s neck. “I can’t stop thinking, maybe it’s my fault? It must’ve been Haggar who sent us here, and I was the one who was supposed to take her out. And you guys know that, we all know we’re here because I failed, and I-” Lance sobbed, quiet and strangled, and Keith held him tighter. “I can’t ask you guys if you blame me because Shiro would say no even if the answer’s really yes, and-”

Keith stopped purring, and disentangled himself from Lance enough to flip the Blue Paladin back over and kiss him. His face was wet with tears, and Keith tangled them back together as well as he was able. “I don’t blame you.” he breathed, pressing another gentle kiss to Lance’s lips. “And none of the others do either.”

“You can’t know that.” Lance mumbled. Keith kissed him again.

“Trust me.” he breathed against Lance’s cheek. “We all saw you take her down. We felt it.” he placed a hand on Lance’s chest, over the human’s heartbeat. “Just because our bond is gone doesn’t mean we don’t love you anymore.”

Lance made that terrible little half sob again, and Keith kissed the side of his jaw. “Now will you let me take care of you?” he murmured, releasing one of Lance’s hands to caress his cheek.

“Not tonight.” Lance shook his head, but made no effort to dislodge Keith. “You’re already exhausted from those stupid tests. Let’s just sleep, okay?”

“Tomorrow, then. No excuses.”

“Tomorrow.” Lance nodded, his heartbeat picking up a little.

Keith grinned, and kissed Lance gently. Lance hummed, and Keith purred in response. Lance was still too warm in his arms, and the bed felt cold and empty without the rest of the team present, but Lance’s breathing had evened out and as Keith matched it he felt his eyelids growing heavy. Tomorrow there would be more tests, more questions that he couldn’t give a ‘believable’ answer to, but tonight he and Lance were safe and together. That would have to be enough.

\---

Keith limped into the small cafeteria-type room where they all had breakfast and dinner, though the edibility of said meals was up for debate, and immediately every eye was on him. The same emotions flickered over each face, almost perfectly in sync. Shock, horror, anger, empathy. He took his seat next to Shiro, and Lance immediately grabbed his arm to trace the small bandage stuck on the inside of his elbow. It was one of many.

“What did they do?” Shiro asked, his voice demanding an answer and promising pain on whoever would hurt one of his team.

“They drew blood for testing, then...” Keith shuddered, and Lance and Shiro each grabbed one of his hands. Shiro’s metal one was warm in his, almost hot. “They injected things. Drugs, maybe poisons, I don’t know.” he shook his head, trying to dispel the memory of one injection that had made him fully, truly believe he was on a galran warship at the mercy of Haggar’s druids. He’d nearly broken several bones in his leg trying to escape his restraints, and had managed to claw one of the scientists across the face pretty badly. “They said tomorrow will be prep work.”

“No.” Lance said, grabbing Keith’s arm hard enough to make him wince. “They’re not vivisecting you.”

“What?!” Hunk yelped, and there was the sound of a gun cocking.

“Not on my watch, they’re not.” Shiro said darkly.

“I bet they haven’t changed the patrols and cameras since I was sneaking in here.” Pidge mused, and Shiro smiled. It was one part warm, one part vicious.

“Seven tocks after lights out.” he said quietly, and they all nodded.

“What are you freaks talking about?” one of the guards demanded.

“Whether you should count a second on the tick or tock.” Pidge lied smoothly. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re all crazy.” the guard huffed, and Keith chuckled despite himself. Let the hired muscle think what they would. He had Lance’s hand tight in his and Hunk’s foot hooked around his ankle like a promise, Shiro’s calm assurance and Pidge’s mouth twitching in that way that meant they were fighting down a smile. They were a team, and they wouldn’t let this stupid building hold them any longer.


	3. Chapter 3

Pidge whooped, and yanked on the steering wheel. The hotwired jeep swerved to the side, rocking up on two wheels as it narrowly avoided a cactus, and they laughed as the headlights of their pursuers swerved wildly. In the back seat, Lance and Shiro were screaming. Hunk wasn’t, but that was probably because he was trying not to be violently sick. Pidge couldn’t bring themself to care, though.

“This is way more fun than Matt’s GTA games!” they laughed.

Keith, pale faced and riding shotgun, clutched at his seat. “You’re a terrible driver!” he yelled. Pidge laughed again, and turned to stick their tongue out at him.

“¡Ojos en el camino, _ojos en el camino_! ” Lance screeched.

“Those rocks up ahead!” Keith yelled, pointing through the windshield at, well, a bunch of rocks. “We can lose them in there!”

“I’m on it!” Pidge yelled back, swerving around another stand of cacti and pressing their foot down harder on the gas. The jeep leapt forward, sand and pebbles spitting up against the undercarriage, and a sickening noise informed them that Hunk had just hurled out the window.

“Why is Pidge driving, again?” he moaned.

“Because none of you can hotwire a car.” Pidge grinned, then yelped as the car dropped a few feet, bouncing on impact before the tires got grip again and they kept shooting forwards. Hunk retched again. There was some yelling as the Garrison guards behind them drove over the same small cliff, and in the passenger seat Keith laughed. It was a real, full laugh, and Pidge only realized they were staring when Lance let out a high pitched shriek.

The jeep nearly flipped avoiding a headlong collision with one of the rocks Keith had been aiming them towards, and Pidge laughed again. This was almost as good as piloting Green, they’d almost dare to say it was better in some ways. The wind in their hair, the adrenaline of being chased, Keith’s voice in their ear yelling directions to keep them all out of the Garrison’s hands. Their chest still felt hollow, and their head felt muddled without Green and all the others. but for the moment they could set that aside. For the moment, all that mattered was the wheel in their hands and the tires singing on sandstone.

“Right!” Keith yelled, undoing his seatbelt and punching open Pidge’s as the Jeep screeched through a tight turn. “Everyone out!”

Pidge shouted as they realized there was no way for the Jeep to fit through the gap up ahead, and bailed out just half a second after the rest of the team. Tumbling along the ground hurt a lot worse without armour, but they were back up on their feet before the Jeep even stuck itself in the opening with a screech of metal on stone.

“Follow me.” Keith hissed, and took off at a near sprint. Pidge fell in behind him, Shiro at their right, and Lance and Hunk brought up the rear. Keith lead them into a well-hidden cave, and clapped a hand over Lance’s mouth when the Blue Paladin started to ask a question. There was noise outside, now. Engines, voices, men yelling for their subordinates to find them. Pidge clapped a hand over their mouth to muffle a wholly inappropriate fit of giggles. Hiding from search parties was nothing new, but usually the stakes were a hell of a lot higher.

After a while which could’ve been anywhere from a few minutes to a whole tock, Keith tapped Pidge on the shoulder and gestured for them to check the entrance. Pidge crept silently over the stone, and was struck with a sudden pang of longing for their armour. The stealth system wasn’t perfect, and it only lasted a few seconds before needing an hour or so to recharge, but it was well suited for this type of stuff. There was no noise outside, so Pidge took the risk of peeking around the corner. Lots of parked Jeeps, but none with their headlights on. Another few seconds of concentrated listening revealed no footsteps, so they stepped out into the moonlight.

“All clear.” they called quietly. “Not sure for how long, though.”

“Long enough for Shiro to pop half their tires?” Hunk asked, one arm behind Lance’s back. Lance was limping slightly, and Pidge grimaced. They should’ve felt that, should’ve already known one of their team was injured.

“Too risky.” Shiro said, his voice quiet but firm. “Keith, you know this area. Do we have a destination?”

“The shack.” Keith said, moving to tug his gloves on tighter before realizing he wasn’t wearing them at the moment. “It’s isolated, and there’s a bed.”

“Lead the way.” Shiro said, and Keith took point. It would be a cold trek, since all any of them had were sweatpants and a T-shirt, but they’d endured worse. And as long as they were together, they’d be okay.

\---

Keith woke up slowly, blearily, and buried his face in the warmth next to him to avoid the bright, warm light that had forced him from his slumber. Lance’s arm around his waist tightened, and the Blue Paladin mumbled something about five more minutes. Something, he dimly realized, was wrong. It was too quiet, none of the castle’s ambient noises registering as he cocked his ears back. He could hear four slow and steady human heartbeats, though, which was enough to keep him from bolting upright and examining their surroundings. Instead, he kept his eyes shut and let his other senses do the work.

It was unnaturally quiet, the only sound their heartbeats and breathing. The predominant smell, of course, was Shiro, since his nose was buried in the Black Paladin’s shirt. Aside from that, though, he could smell the other Paladins, old wood, and dust. Lots of dust. There was some mold, and a slight smell of old animal droppings, but nothing threatening. No electrical smell, no magic, no stench of pureblooded galra or any other sort of alien. It wasn’t the castle, and he wasn’t awake enough to remember where they were, but they were together and there was no immediate threat so Keith let himself drift, only half awake, until Shiro stirred.

“What time is it?” he groaned. Keith shrugged, or made his best approximation of a shrug since Lance had shifted and was now half pinning him to the mattress.

“Dunno.” he mumbled into Shiro’s shirt, a purr rumbling out of his chest when metal fingers dug in behind his ear.

“Temprano.” Lance moaned, lifting an arm to slap gently at Keith and Shiro’s faces. “Sshhhhhh.”

The bed squeaked and shifted as Hunk got up, muttering about using the bathroom. Keith sat up at the squeak, and took a look around to confirm his suspicions. They were in his shack, on Earth. It was dusty from years of disuse, and he could smell that the few perishables he’d had were long gone, but it was definitely his old place. The events of last night came back to him, and he sighed as he wriggled out from under Lance’s arm.

“Go back to sleep.” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the Blue Paladin’s forehead. Lance grumbled some incoherent Spanish and scooted closer to Shiro. Shiro chuckled, and once he’d managed to get both feet on the floor Keith turned around to appreciate the view. Shiro was sprawled on his back, Lance curled against his right side and clinging to his prosthetic hand. Pidge was on their stomach, sprawled halfway on top of him and held in place by Shiro’s left forearm lying along their spine, fingers twisted up in their bedhead. It was a rare sight, considering Shiro was usually the first of them to wake up and would drag the rest of them out of bed for before-breakfast training, and Keith wished he had a camera.

Shiro noticed him staring, and looked down at the two Paladins sleeping on him. “I could put Pidge on Lance, and-.”

Keith leaned over the bed to shut Shiro up with a quick kiss, planting his hand on the mattress so he didn’t risk disturbing Pidge. “Hunk and I’ll check the state of this place.” he said softly, straightening up and fixing his shirt. “You get some more rest.”

Shiro frowned for a second, then nodded and shut his eyes. Keith pulled down the slatted blinds on the window, coughing at the cloud of dust the movement released, then padded over to where Hunk was poking around the kitchenette.

“I’ve got a few boxes of stale crackers, and some questionable trail mix.” the Yellow Paladin said without looking up. “This was your place, right?” he stood, depositing his finds on the counter. Keith nodded.

“There’s a little basement thing out back.” he tilted his head towards the back wall of the building. “Don’t remember how much food’s there, but I know there’s a generator, gas, and fuel for my bike.”

Hunk seemed to perk up at that. “What does your bike run on?”

“Outside.” Keith said quietly, and Hunk glanced at their still-sleeping teammates before nodding. They got all the way around to the sand-covered door behind the shack before the Yellow Paladin spoke again.

“If there’s not any food, what are we gonna do?”

Keith, well, he honestly hadn’t thought about that when he was leading them here last night. His only concern had been finding a place to sleep where they wouldn’t be exposed to the elements or easily found by Iverson’s goons. “Let’s see what we’ve got, first.” he said once the basement door was open.

The basement, as it turned out, was basically bare. There were a few gallons of distilled water, and enough gas to get the generator going, but no food. Right, he’d made the last of it for Shiro and the rest of them the morning they left Earth. Their last human meal had been two cans of corned beef hash and a box of granola bars. Lance had complained about that a few times.

“Uh, Keith, are you sure these glowy blue rocks are safe?” Hunk asked, lifting a handful of the smaller ones from their box.

“Pretty sure. They power my bike, and I never experienced any side effects.” he walked over and reached into the box to pull out a rock roughly the size of a softball. “I mean, even if they’re radioactive or something, I’m pretty sure the healing pods take care of that stuff.”

“About that...” Hunk said, his voice very small. “What if Allura doesn’t come for us?”

“She has to.” Keith said, dropping the rock back in its box to put an arm around Hunk’s shoulders. “We’re her Paladins, the Lions won’t take anyone else.”

“I guess.” Hunk muttered, and Keith used his free hand to brush the fuel rocks out of Hunk’s palm back into their box so he could twine their fingers together. “It’s just, we beat Zarkon. What if she doesn’t need us anymore?”

“Let’s just, get the generator started, okay?” Keith squeezed Hunk’s hand, and walked over to the containers of gasoline. They walked back into the shack a few minutes later with a gallon of water each, and found the rest of the team awake. Lance and Pidge looked groggy, but Lance cracked a grin at the sight of them.

“Con esa ropa, ustedes pareces Apertura rechaza.” he chuckled.

“You’re wearing the same thing, y’know.” Hunk fired back, setting down the gallon jug in his hands on the shack’s kitchen table. Lance looked down at himself, and laughed as Shiro ruffled his hair.

“I always did want one of those portal guns.”

Keith raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment on how nonsensical that statement was. Pidge punched him in the shoulder for it anyway, then sneezed. “I forgot how much allergies suck.” they grumbled.

“We’ve got water, crackers, and trail mix.” Hunk said, opening a cabinet and pulling out a few cups. “Breakfast of champions.” he tossed the trail mix right past Keith, and Shiro caught it.

“Seriously, you’ve got nothing else?” Lance wrinkled his nose. “I mean, even McD’s would be better than this, and I can barely stomach that shit.”

“Sure.” Keith said dryly. “Let me get the three year old fast food leftovers out of the fridge.”

“Just eat the trail mix, asshole.” Pidge said, grabbing Shiro’s forearm and shoving the prosthetic against Lance’s chest hard enough the Blue Paladin went oof. Lance grumbled, but took a handful of trail mix and popped it in his mouth.

“Is there any money in this place?” Shiro asked, holding out his flesh and blood hand for Pidge to deposit their cashews and peanuts in.

“I think.” Keith frowned. It had been years since they left Earth, and he’d only lived here for a few months, but he always his his loose cash in the same spot. “Lemme check.” he sidestepped around Hunk, accepting one of the cups of water, and set it down atop the dusty dresser as he pulled open the top drawer. Sure enough, there in the back was a small wad of cash bound with a dry, cracked rubber band. “About fifty bucks, I think.” he said, lobbing the paper at Shiro gently. “All in fives and ones.”

“Good.” Shiro grinned, hooking an arm around Lance’s neck when the lanky Paladin leaned against him. “If you and Hunk can get your bike working, you can take it into town and get supplies.”

“If?” Hunk huffed, sitting down on Pidge’s left and pulling a cracker out of the box. “I’m offended. You think I can’t get that thing running again?”

“I think it might need more replacement parts than we have.” Shiro replied levelly, but there was a softness around his eyes that Keith was certain meant he was amused.

“Am I the only one seeing a problem with this plan?” Pidge asked as Keith shut the dresser drawer and walked over to grab some crackers from Hunk. Lance ducked out of Shiro’s hold and scooted over, letting Keith take his place between them. When nobody answered, Pidge groaned and flopped backwards. “Keith can’t go into town on his own. Didn’t we learn this, like, a month after he transformed?”

“Oh, right.” Lance frowned. “But these clothes will make any of us stick out like a sore thumb, and the only stuff here is Keith’s.”

“You’re dense, you know that?” Keith rolled his eyes. “Nothing here is gonna fit me.”

“But it might fit Pidge.” Shiro said, looking at the Paladins on either side of him.

“Your old jacket _is_ pretty comfy.” Pidge grinned. “Even if it’s falling apart.”

“It wasn’t falling apart until you started wearing it.” Keith fired back, the protest nearly rote by this point.

“And the stuff here is probably still in one piece.” Hunk said, picking out a few nuts from Pidge’s new handful of trail mix.

Their meagre breakfast didn’t last long, and within half an hour Keith was pulling Hunk out of his hoverbike’s engine so he could close it up and get it floating again. Pidge looked a little bit ridiculous in Keith’s old clothes, but both they and Lance were grinning the smug asshole grins that never failed to make Keith want to either punch or kiss them. Currently he was leaning towards the former, if only because Pidge had picked out too-big cargo shorts with a desert camo pattern and a crop top. Not just any crop top, either. That gremlin just had to pick out the four panel comic meme crop top.

“Everything in my wardrobe, and you pick those.” he said flatly. Pidge adjusted their belt with a smirk.

“You are never living this down.” Hunk chuckled.

“It was at the thrift store.” he protested, more out of habit than in hopes of changing anyone’s mind. “And I still don’t get how sticks can be a goddamn meme.”

“Keith, babe.” Lance sauntered over and slung an arm around Keith’s shoulders. “Don’t question the classics.”

“Alright.” Shiro said with a slight smile, untucking his shirt and pulling out the wad of cash. “Keith, you know how to drive that thing, and where to go. Pidge, take this and get as much of what’s on the list as you can.”

“And get me a soda!” Lance piped up as Keith hopped on his bike and started the engine, Pidge clambering up behind him.

“Nope.” Pidge grinned, looping their arms around Keith’s waist. Keith made a mental note to make sure Pidge picked up a 2-litre of soda. Lance’s face when he saw it was going to be priceless.

\---

Lance cradled the cup of soda in his hands, one leg stretched out so his heel rested against the side of Keith’s knee and the other folded so his sole pressed against his inner thigh. The grocery run had used up almost all of their cash, and now they had enough food and water for maybe a few days. Longer if they rationed it, but Lance was hoping it wouldn’t come to that. Half rations made everyone cranky, and without their bond or anywhere to get away from each other it would be a nightmare. Hell on Earth. Lance chuckled, and lifted his cup to take another sip of the nice cold off-brand Sprite.

He could say that again, or think it at least. They were on Earth. He sat up straighter, and every eye turned to him as an idea came to him. “Is there any way we can get to a computer?” he asked, the plan already half formed in his mind.

“Email mom.” Pidge breathed, then shivered and rubbed their arms. “Jeez, Lance, would you cu-” they stopped mid-word, and Lance looked down at his drink. It had turned halfway to slush. Frozen slush. He dropped the cup and shot to his feet, pivoting on his heel. He shut his eyes, and concentrated, and…

“There.” he breathed, opening his eyes to see the ceiling. But he could sense Blue approaching, feel her presence growing closer with every passing second. He inhaled, and pulled the chill he’d cast over the room back into himself. It settled in his chest, in his bones, and he felt more than heard Blue’s concern rumbling through him. The others were reconnecting with their Lions as well, and Hunk was the first of them to walk outside. Lance brought up the rear, and they fell in line in front of the shack. Blue was rumbling incessantly in the back of his head, concern at their separation and joy at their impending reunion, and her presence settled behind his heart like ice.

More than his Lion’s presence, though, he could feel the rest of the team again. The welling of love from Hunk, of relief from Keith, of unified joy from all of them. Lance didn’t realize he was crying until Keith brushed the tears away with a burning hot hand, but when he looked the rest of them were tearing up too. A shuttle landed in front of them, and when Allura rushed out Shiro was the first to move. He caught her in a tight hug, and then Lance’s feet were moving and he was throwing himself at both of them. Hunk pulled Keith and Pidge with him, and Allura released Shiro to hug them all.

“I’m sorry it took me so long.”

“It’s okay.” Hunk said, speaking for all of them. “Just, can we maybe never do that again?”

Allura nodded, releasing them and taking a step back to address them all. “I won’t let it happen twice.”

Lance’s relief was echoed by the others, and even Blue purred quietly in the back of his mind. Veradera would always be the place he’d grown up, but this, here with his team and their princess, this was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason the Paladins have such an extreme reaction to being separated from their Lions is twofold. One, in the past the Paladins would train a new group to serve as their replacements, then they’d stick around for a while as mentors and their bond would slowly fade. Having a long-standing link like that terminate suddenly isn’t good for the mental health of anyone involved. Two, they had to learn how to channel their Lions’ magic very fast and with devastating power, which didn’t leave them with much time to learn how to keep it from infecting and altering their bodies.


End file.
